HANOVER, N.H.--Grant Blair stopped 12 of 13 Dartmouth shots on goal in the third period to preserve a 5-3 victory for the Harvard hockey team in its season opener before a crowd of 3039 last night at Thompson Arena.

The sophomore netminder turned away 30 shots on a night when the absence of graduated defensemen Mark Fusco. Neil Sheehy and Mitch Olson left Blair considerably less protected than he was in last season's 9-1 Crimson rout.

Bill Cleary Jr. put Harvard on the board with a shot off a Big Green player 4-49 into a poorly skated first period Cleary took a Dave Connors pass from behind the net and sent the puck across the ice, where it found its way under the stick of diving goalie Jeff Bower, off the skate of Dartmouth defender Bob Cronin and back into the twines.

The play up to that point had been about even, with Harvard easily Filling a tripping penalty to right-wing Gary Martin 1:22 into the time. The Crimson's second penalty proved more costly, though Dartmouth's first goal wasn't technically off the power play. Bob Starbuck took a two-minute trip to the sin bin for hooking at 5:11 and last four seconds after Starbuck sped out of the box. Mark Lamoureux drilled a 10 ft pass to center Tom Norton, who slipped the puck behind Blair from a perch 12 feet from the left post.

A Rob Wheeler slapshot hit the post four minutes later, and at the other end Blair needed some clutched saves to preserve the tied score, At 9:48. Allen Taber centered the puck from behind the Harvard net and Blair made a pad save off a John Sedgewick shot from just outside the crease.

With just under two minutes left in the period, Jay North passed the puck to freshman defender Butch Cutone, who sent a 30 ft, slapshot over Bower's left shoulder and into the net to give Harvard a 2-1 lead at the intermission.

The Crimson started skating in the second period, and just 1:42 after the faceoff. Martin scored the power play goal that made if 3-1 Harvard A. Connors wrist shot bounced off Bower to Martin just left of the crease and Martin lifted the puck into the twines.

The Crimson's next power play led to a picture perfect three on one break. Connors flipped it to Phil Falcone who skated down the middle of the Big Green zone and dished off to Martin streaking down the left side Martin waited waited then tucked the puck behind Bower for the 4-1 lead at 16-58.

But the Crimson runaway never materialized Bruce Cullen assisted Norton for a two on Blair breakaway goal at 18-30 and the Harvard edge was cut to two. Penalties to Martin and Wheeler early in the final period gave the Big Green the momentum and Dartmouth pulled to within a goal on a power play tally at 4:17 Cullen set things up with a pass out from behind the net, and Lamoureux slaped the pass in from five feet outside the Harvard goal. At Hanover, N.H. Harvard  2  2  1--5 Dartmouth  1  1  1--3

H. Bill Cleary Jr. (Dave Connors Gary Martin) 4:49; D. Tom Norton (Mark Lamoureux) 7:15; H. Butch Cutone (Jay North) 18:03; H. Martin (Connors Brad Kwong) 1:42; H. Martin (Connors, Phil Falcone) 16:58; D. Bruce Cullen (Norton) 18:30; D. Lamoureux (Cullen, Norton) 4:17; H. Falcone (Connors, Cutone) 19:49.

Saves--H. Grant Blair, 8-10-12--30, D. Jeff Bower 8-10-5--23